Viewing and signing your contract

Review your childcare contract's schedule, rates, and terms, and see how to sign new agreements from the Parent App.

Written byDaniel Broadhurst (Founder)|Published: 18 June 2026|
Ofsted Aligned

ℹ️Who this is for

Parents whose childminder has sent them a contract in KinderStart: a first contract, a new schedule or an updated rate. You'll need the parent app (see

Getting started as a parent

). It takes about five minutes, most of it reading.

Video Walkthrough

1. Open Documents & Contracts

Tap the Menu at the top left of your home screen, then choose Documents & Contracts. Everything your childminder asks you to read or sign is kept here.

2. Find the contract

Open the Contracts tab. A new contract is marked as waiting for your signature. Tap View Contract to open it.

3. Read it through

This is the agreement your invoices are worked out from, so it's worth a proper look. The contract is split into sections:

  • Contract Overview: the start date, and the end date if there is one.
  • The days and hours your child attends, in term time and in the holidays.
  • The rates: the standard hourly or daily rate, and any out-of-hours rate, late pickup fee or consumables charge.
  • Holidays: your paid and unpaid holiday allowance, and what's charged when the setting is closed, when you take your child on holiday, and on bank holidays.
  • Funding & Entitlements: your funded hours and how they're applied, if you have them.
  • Consents & Permissions and Custom Clauses & Conditions: anything else you're agreeing to.

If your childminder has also uploaded their own contract document, tap View Uploaded Contract to read it.

⚠️Something doesn't look right?

Don't sign yet. Speak to your childminder first. They can change the contract and send you a new one to sign.

4. Sign it

When you're happy, tap Sign Contract Now. Sign with your finger in the box, then tap Submit Digital Signature.

5. That's it

Your childminder is told straight away that you've signed. The signed contract stays in the Contracts tab whenever you need it.

Why KinderStart does it this way

A signed contract in the app means you and your childminder always have the same version. There's no question later about which paper copy was agreed, and the days and rates you signed are exactly what your invoices are based on.

If your contract changes

When your childminder changes your child's days, hours or rates, they send you a new contract. It appears in the Contracts tab waiting for your signature, and you read and sign it the same way.

What to do next

🚀
Track Your Progress
Don't get lost in the paperwork. Use our free interactive checklist to tick off each step as you complete it.

Next guide

Co-signing your child's personal plan

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KinderStart strives for accuracy. Competitor features and pricing comparisons are based on publicly available information as of May 2026. Details are subject to change by respective providers.

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